Our Goal in Life
by Cathia Netwick
Summary: CURRENTLY ON HIATUS Max and the flock find a wounded girl being attacked by flyboys, and decide to help her. Little do they know she's not exactly normal. Bad summary, but whatever. FAXNESS, and a lot of it! Also Iggy/OC. ENJOY R
1. Robots don't bleed

**Callie's POV**

My eyes shoot open, and I almost trip over my own feet. I'm in a forest, and I'm running. Why am I running? Last thing I remember is falling asleep in someone's garage, trying to stay warm, and now I'm running for what seems to be my life. But for all I know I could be dreaming.

That's it! I'm dreaming. I'm having one of those incredibly weird dreams where I meet clowns, blow up the leaves, and forget to screw my head on the right way. After all, no one wants to be looking behind them for the rest of their lives.

BANG!

The sound of splintering wood fills my ears, and my hear beats faster. A feeling of dread creeps into my stomach, and I forget the possibility that I may be dreaming.

BANG! BANG!

After all, in dreams, don't the bullets usually miss?

A sharp pain erupted in my side, and I lost balance. Good thing I wasn't in the air, or I would have been done for.

Skidding to the ground, the skin on my hands split, and my head hit something hard. I screamed out in pain, but I knew it wouldn't make a difference. The sound of motors filled my ears, and I could swear I could hear "Eliminate! We must eliminate you!" chanted over and over again. Groaning I tried to get up, ready to fight the gun holding, weapon wielding flyboys, but before I got the chance, something long and cold bashed against my head, and everything went black.

**Iggy's POV**

"Max! I'm hungry!" Nudge complained for the twentieth time that minute. I could swear I was going to explode if I had to listen to her complain for a moment longer. First her wings were tired, and then Gazzy was being annoying, and now this.

"Sweetheart, we'll get something when we have the chance, but right now we are in the middle of nowhere and unless you want to make like Fang and eat some wild, raw animals, you can wait. Besides, weren't you eager to come looking for a new home with us? You could have stayed behind with Mom and Ella.

Sure she could have, but it's not bloody likely. After before we never wanted to be apart, even if it was only for a few hours.

BANG!

I stopped flying, concentrating on the sound I could swear I just heard. It sounded like a gunshot, but it was so faint, I could barely hear it.

"Iggy, what's up?" I didn't respond.

"He heard something." Angel said for me. Sometimes her mind reading could be kind of nice.

BANG! BANG!

This time it was louder, but only slightly so. There, a scream. Someone was hurt.

"Iggy, really what…hey!!" But I was gone, flying as fast as I could towards the sound. Boy Max's speed would come in handy right about now.

As I approached my destination I heard the metal sound of Flyboy's motors that I was so familiar with. They were near by, and I could hear them chanting they're monotone words, yet I was to concentrated on whoever or whatever had been hurt to decipher what they were saying.

The slightest sound of a heartbeat pumped in my ears, and I was off again, not noticing whether or not the flock had followed me.

I dipped down into the trees, still flying as fast as I could towards whoever was in trouble. Somehow I managed to dodge the trees, and I landed on the ground without stopping. I ran for a bit before I heard breathing.

Something was there, in front of me. Something alive, and breathing much like a human does but…

Oh, did I mention the flyboys? Well yeah, they were there too, and although I couldn't see them, I could tell they were about to attack me.

I was about to take my chances and beat the hell out of them, despite being blind, but it was then that Max showed up, with the rest of the flock in tow. I listened to them kicking, punching, and snapping metal spines. In any other circumstance I would have smiled, thinking of how lucky I was to have a family like this. One that would be willing to put their lives on the line to help me, even if I didn't have a good explanation for what I was doing.

Instead I was concentrating on the unfamiliar sound of breathing coming from somewhere not far off of the ground. There was someone there, and I just had to curse the stupid white coats for making me blind, because this was one of those times I really wanted to be able to see.

Metal clanked to the ground, as Fang took out the last of the Flyboys. They were all breathing heavily, and…if it's possible…I could swear I heard them all staring at something, or most likely the someone I was listening to.

"Who is she?" I heard my fateful pal Gazzy asking no one in particular. So it's a she.

"I don't know." Max sounded kind of worried, which wasn't unusual, but always made me feel queasy.

"What's she doing here? And why were the flyboys going after her? I mean, it didn't look like they wanted anything to do with us until we came. Do you think she's like us and they want her? Any way, aren't all of the flyboys supposed to be gone? I mean when we destroyed Itex they all went away. Right?"

No one bothered to stop Nudge; after all, we were all asking the same questions in our minds.

"Angel, you get anything from her?"

The sound of the air shifting back and forth came from what I expected to be Angel's direction. "N-no. She's unconscious, and not dreaming, so I don't really…I mean…"

Angel went on, but I was no longer paying attention. I bent down, near the unconscious body. The breathing was strained, as if in pain. Reaching my hand out I laid it down on something wet and…blood. She had to be bleeding pretty badly for there to be this much blood.

But something was wrong. It didn't smell like human blood, which I had smelled my fare share of times from when we ended up beating up the white coats until they bled. Yet it didn't smell like avian blood or Eraser blood. Instead it had a feline smell, mixed with…something else. What ever it was it wasn't human.

**Max's POV**

I don't know how Iggy knew that someone was in trouble from so far away, but this girl was bleeding badly, and who knew what would happen if she didn't get help and soon.

I couldn't see her very clearly as she was covered in blood, but I could tell she was tall, pretty, and…well that was all I could tell.

But what irked me was why she was there, and who she was. After all, the flyboys are supposed to be gone, and even if they weren't they don't go after just anyone. Wasn't that an immediate sign that she couldn't be human? Maybe I'm paranoid, but something wasn't right here.

Iggy was bending down, reaching out a hand to touch her arm, which was covered in blood. I opened my mouth to stop him, but Fang's hand on my arm stopped me. He shook his head slightly, so I gave in.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open, making Iggy jump back. Her eyes were a dark blue and seemed unfocused. Jumping to her feet she swaggered, the wound in her side causing her to fall.

"W-who…what…who are…you?" She was struggling to breath, and most likely slipping back into unconsciousness. "What…what do you want…?"

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. We just want to help." Iggy reached his hand out again, but before his hand could come in contact with skin she shrieked and jumped into the air with speed I didn't think possible.

With what seemed to be claws she latched onto one of the nearby trees, looking down on us. Opening her mouth she revealed a top set of deadly sharp looking fangs, and hissed at us.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nudge take a step back, and Gazzy slowly edging away. Although I didn't want to look weak, I knew the feeling, as I wanted nothing more then to get away from here.

"Please! You're hurt! We can help you!" Iggy protested, but weakly she shook her head.

"N-no. No one can help me. Just…just go a-away." Slipping, her grip on the tree weakened and I could tell it was taking all of her strength to stay up there.

Iggy shook his head, but couldn't protest any farther. After all, she didn't have any reason to trust us, nor did we her. I had half a mind to turn everyone around so we could continue on our merry way, but that's the problem with me. She didn't seem to be a threat, and she had been attacked by the flyboys so she had to be an enemy of Itex. Could I really just leave her here to die?

Well, maybe. She could be a spy from Itex, who is being tracked by the white coats and they'll find us…or maybe she's a homicidal killer who's going to kill us all in our sleep!

My imagination kept going on like this, thinking of ways this girl could be a major threat to us, but once I got to homicidal robot, Angel stamped on my foot and gave me a look.

'Max, robots don't bleed.' She thought into my mind.

Giving into this reasonable explanation I turned my mind back to reality, where a weird girl with claws and fangs was hissing at us while hanging onto a tree.

She looked around the sky, as if expecting something to come, or in out case looking for a good place to lift off through the trees. Looking a little disoriented she blinked rapidly, her eyes going wide before she fell from the tree.

It wasn't a long fall, but from the condition she was in it had to hurt pretty badly: badly enough for her not to get up.

Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge and Angel all rushed forward to see if she was all right, but Fang and I stayed behind, knowing that she could be dangerous. At least, that's why I stayed behind.

"Is she alright?" Iggy asked.

Nudge felt for a pulse, but where she learned that I have no idea. "She's alive, but she's bleeding pretty badly. Do you think we should take her to a hospital? I know that's dangerous, but she might die! What would we do then? Or should we take her back to Ella's place?"

Nudge Gazzy and Angel took to calling Mom's house "Ella's place" because they didn't feel comfortable calling her mom, and it was to difficult for them to say her name. Quite frankly I don't blame them.

"I don't know guys. I mean, we really don't know who this person is. She could be…"

"Max, come on! She needs our help! We can't just leave her here!" Angel protested, and I sighed, knowing that if I disagreed she would just use her mind powers and force me to take her back with us.

"Fine, we'll take her back to Mom's place, and get her fixed up, but that's it! After that she needs to leave.

They all agreed, but I could tell Fang was a little hesitant. Scooping her up in his arms, Iggy mutely decided that he would be the first one to carry her. Personally I thought that was a stupid idea, but I didn't protest.

We all lifted off the ground, looking around warily for more flyboys. There weren't any. Sighing I started flying in the direction of Mom's house, noticing that we were much farther away then I had planned on going. How had Iggy heard her get hurt from that far away. Even he couldn't do that, right?

I ignored the question for now and continued on my way. It was only a matter of time before I found out what I was really getting in to.

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	2. Are you sure that's a good idea?

Disclaimer: If I owned Maximum Ride I would have no reason at all to be here. You'd think you'd get that by now.

Okay peeps, sorry I didn't have an Author's note last time, but I forgot to put one in before I uploaded it. Anyway, here is the second chapter in the story "Our Goal in life" which I do want to change the title of. So if anyone has any ideas, please tell me now, because I'm no good at making up titles. Also I know I'm a crappy writer, but please try and bare with me. Do me a favor and R&R as this is the first fanfic I have posted on this site. TEEHEE!! Hope you like.

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**Fang's POV**

When we reached Dr. Martinez's house we landed, and then quickly ran into the house, while being greeted by Total, who we had left behind. Iggy shouted Dr. Martinez's name, and she came downstairs in a hurry.

"Yes, what…oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of the girl. "Who is this?"

Max quickly explained as I went to the fridge to get something to drink. After all, I didn't care much about what was going on. As long as she's not a threat to the flock it's okay.

I could tell Max felt the same way, although she was a little more wary of her. But she had to be. It was her duty as leader of the flock to always look out for everyone. It almost made me smile, thinking of how she took care of the younger ones, whether they needed to be taken care of or not. But luckily I caught myself in time, and resumed my serious look.

Turning back to the flock I saw that they had laid her out on a blanket on top of the carpet, but it didn't stop the blood from soaking through.

"Max, can you get the first aid kit from the bathroom?" Dr. Martinez asked, and she hurried off to get it.

I just stood there, sipping my soda while watching Dr. Martinez try and patch the girl up without any real medical equipment as if I were watching a movie. As she felt her pulse she paused and felt it again.

"Max, is this girl normal?" Dr. Martinez asked once she came back with the First Aid box.

Shaking her head Max answered, "I don't think so. I mean, she grew claws and fangs and hissed at us. Also, I don't think humans can jump that high. Why?"

"Because her heart is beating way faster then a humans heart beat. In fact, it's faster then yours. Way faster."

Turning her on her back, Dr. Martinez carefully took off her sweatshirt to look at the wound. Her shirt underneath was soaked in blood. Despite that, we all stood and stared at what was before us. On her back, slid through slits in the back of her shirt, were a set of, thin, furry, blood soaked wings.

They weren't avian wings, but more…bat like, with the long, thin bones, and think material in between, except they were covered in short, brown, striped fur, like a cat.

"What? What is it?" Iggy asked.

"She…she has wings." Dr. Martinez answered, still looking and sounding quite surprised.

"Wings! You mean she's like us?" Iggy was starting to sound desperate, not knowing what was going on.

Dr. Martinez shook her head, forgetting that he was blind, so Angel answered for her. "No Ig, she has different wings. They're thinner and covered in fur. I guess…umm…"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, now I see." Iggy said understandingly.

"Umm, no you don't." Gazzy pointed out, and I saw Max smile that beautiful smile of hers. She didn't smile often enough, and sure there had been a lot going on with Itex and finding our parents, but she looked so pretty when she smiled…snap out of it Fang.

I was going crazy. This wasn't the first time I caught myself drifting off while thinking about Max in unbrotherly ways. Actually, I did pretty well there, catching myself before things got inappropriate.

"No Gazzy, Angel sent me a picture of what she her wings look like." Iggy explained, and we all looked at him and Angel.

"You can do that! Oh my goodness that is so cool! And that would be so helpful for…" Max put a hand over Nudge's mouth, silencing her.

"I didn't know you could do that Angel." Max said admiringly, which was odd seeing as it was usually everyone else who was admiring Max.

Angel nodded. "Yeah. I've been able to do it for a while, but I've only done it with Iggy, because he was the only one who really needed me to."

After we got over that slight shock our attention was brought back to Dr. Martinez who was putting pressure on the girl's wound. "How is she doing?" Max asked.

Dr. Martinez looked hesitant, but answered anyway. "I think she'll be okay. Although it's pretty deep, the bullet didn't hit any of her organs, but it did clip her wing a little. I'll take her over the clinic tonight so I can get a better look, but as far as I can tell she'll be okay, especially if she can heal as fast as you do. The only things I'm concerned about are getting the bullet out and what she'll do when she wakes up. You said she was hostile?"

"I think she was more scared then anything else, after all she had just been shot, and who knows what happened before we came in." Max answered sounding very sophisticated.

Dr. M nodded. "Well, I'm going to bandage her up, but after that there's not much we could do for her. I'd like to giver her some blood, but I'm afraid that if we don't know what she is then we can't give her anything. Human blood could damage her system, and yours probably would too. Unless we fine someone else who's the same, then we can't give her any other blood, and she'll have to tough it out."

In other words we can't do anything, and there's a high possibility that she will die a very painful, and very slow death by blood loss, while we sit and watch. Of course we could just kill her now, and save her the pain.

"Fang!" Angel shrieked at me.

"What? I was just kidding!" I said, making my way to the stairs, away from all the commotion and the possibly dying girl.

Angel shrieked something else at me, but I was to lost in my own mind to listen. Unlike some people I had better things to then watch some chick die…possibly.

**Max's POV**

I watched Fang leave; I couldn't help admire his…ow. Angel! You don't need to step on my foot! Honestly, sometimes that girl acted more like an overprotective parent then a kid.

Anyway, Mom asked me to go make a bed for her which was a problem considering all of the beds, couches, and floor space had already been taken up by us. Hence the reason we were out flying in the first place; we needed our own home.

Still I went up to the guest room that Angel, Nudge and I shared and I striped the sheets on the bed. She needed it more then I do so I decided to be the kind generous person and give up my bed for however many days she made me.

When I was almost done putting the new sheets on the bed Iggy walked in the room with the girl draped over his arms, bridal style. Truthfully it looked kind of like a night in shining armor carrying his damsel in distress. The thought almost made me laugh, not to mention the weird mental picture.

Shaking it from my head I finished up with the sheets and helped Iggy lay her down. Of course she had started bleeding through her bandages, and who knew how long it would take for her to soak up the fresh new sheets with her blood.

I looked up at Iggy, who had a look of worry on his face. "Hey Ig?"

Startled he looked up at what he probably assumed was my direction. He was off by a couple inches. Impressive.

"Yeah?" he answered. I though the monosyllable talking was Fang's style.

"How exactly did you hear her in trouble? I Mean we were miles away and that's farther then even you can hear!"

Iggy just shrugged his shoulders. "I…I don't know. I guess I…well…I truly don't know."

Good enough for me. I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay then." With that I walked from the room, leaving Iggy alone with his sleeping, blood-covered beauty.

Without really knowing what I was doing I walked over to Iggy and Fang's room knowing that only Fang would be there. Knocking on the door I was answered with a grunt and took that as permission to come in.

Fang was lying on the bed listening to our one and only iPod, while staring up at the ceiling. Could you get any hotter?

Looking over at me he scooted over and patted the bed beside him for me to sit down. I obliged and plopped my self down knees drawn up to my stomach. Fang took the earphones out of his ears, but neither of us said a thing.

After about ten minutes I couldn't take it any longer. "So…what do you think?" I didn't need to explain. Sorry to sound like a lovesick girly-girl, but we just work that way.

Fang shrugged. "Don't know."

Getting agitated, I raised my eyebrows, before shoving his side. I wanted a better answer then that.

Slightly smiling Fang looked up at me. "I honestly don't know. She could be some Itex survivor creep who was sent to kill us, or she could be a victim of their treachery just like we were and is just trying to get away."

I smiled at that. I liked it when I was able to get long responses out of him. Well, as long as was ever possible coming from Fang.

Without speaking he asked the same question back. "About the same. Who knows who she is or what she was doing there, but she's not human, at least not 100 and she was running away from the Flyboys. Although this could be a trap, and no it wouldn't be the least surprising if Itex shot one of their own. By the way, aren't all the flyboys supposed to be gone? I mean, we destroyed Itex there shouldn't be any left!"

I went one, kind of like Nudge really, but who was going to talk here? Not Fang.

He nodded at all of you answers, and rhetorical questions. When I was done he looked back up at me. "You spend way to much time thinking about these things." He said, and I whacked his head lightly.

"I do not! I just…have way to much time on my hands." Not exactly true, taking care of the kids and Total was hard, and most of the time I was busy doing that, but they were al growing up so I had to be taking care of them less and less. The thought made me sad, but obviously Fang noticed because he put a hand on my leg.

"They'll always need to be taken care of Max. And you'll always be the one they look to for that." I smiled yet again; he seemed to be making that happen a lot recently. With a tired groan I unwrapped my arms from my legs, and lied down on the bed next to Fang, closing my eyes I yawned, extremely tiredly.

"Goodness Max, didn't you sleep at all last night?" He asked and I shook my head slightly.

"No. Total was keeping us up all night last night complaining about this or that. First he was hungry, then he was thirsty which of course made him have to go to the bathroom. Then he wasn't comfortable and then I wanted wring his neck, but Angel wouldn't let me which made me very upset." Although I couldn't see I knew Fang had his 'slight smile' on.

Suddenly I felt someone against my back, and I opened my eyes. Fang had decided to snuggle up closer to me and was now putting his arm around my stomach. Although this wasn't exactly new my heart beat faster as I instantly became more alert and toned into my senses.

"Well if Bat Chick is sleeping in your bed, where are you going to sleep tonight?" He breathed into my ear.

"I…" I gulped. "I guess that all depends on where we find room…" My goodness, I sounded like a nervous idiot. Well…okay I was nervous, but I am not an idiot.

Fang paused, but I could still hear him breathing in my ear. Very close to it.

"Well if you want…you could sleep in here. With me." Oh my goodness he was seducing me! If I was actually able to think then…well who knows what I would have thought, but considering I couldn't think I wasn't exactly able to do anything.

"A-are…are you sure that's such…such a great idea?" I asked. No, it probably wasn't but why else would we do it? After all we're both teenagers who have no time for this kinds of stuff because of stupid corporations that spent the better part off our lives trying to kill us.

My mind instantly flew back to the night he had kissed me. Sure that was two years ago, but we had been so busy destroying Itex that we never had the chance to continue that night. That is if Fang wanted it to be continued. I know I did.

"Who cares?" he said, and held me tighter. Nope not caring. My mind starting working for a split second but I could only make out one thought; if the kids or Iggy walked in.

Fang quickly stole that thought from my head by nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. "Just go to sleep." He whispered and it was like he was a hypnotist. Almost instantly I closed my eyes and drifted off, snuggling into his arms as much as I could.

**Fang's POV**

I lay there, unmoving, as Max slept in my arms. She had looked so tired all day, but I doubted that even she noticed it. At least now she was finally able to get some rest.

I smiled as I thought about how easily I had gotten to her. In fact, it was surprising how it had taken me so long to restart the feelings of 'That Night.' But in my defense I just wanted to giver her time to get used to the idea so that next time I tried to kiss her she wouldn't run away.

Inhaling I smelled the clean scent of her shampoo; after living with Dr. Martinez for so long we had all gotten used to the idea of showering regularly, but it was still surprising when one of us walked in the room and didn't give off the smell that screamed stink bomb.

But under the shampoo smell, Max had a smell all of her own. After much investigating I realized that it was actually a slight mix of the rest of the flock's smell, all rolled into one. I had mentioned this to Iggy the other day, and he just gave me a look that screamed 'Duh!' Apparently him and his super senses noticed that a long time ago.

Trailing off into though I slowly drifted into sleep with meaning to, and soon I found myself fast asleep, face embellished in Max's blonde hair…or at least I would have if I had been awake. But hey, give me a break.

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Okay, so I don't remember whether or not I mentioned this before, but just in case; Fang, Iggy and Max are 16 here, Nudge is 13, Gazzy is ten and Angel is eight. In other words it's two years later and they have destroyed Itex…kind of. But more of that later. Also, just a heads up, there is going to be litter or no action in this piece, and it's just something I'm throwing together, so don't get all excited because there's a shooting scene at the beginning. I can tell you that this is going to be fluffy, pointless junk; at least in my opinion. That's why I like it. If you don't, then deal with it and go read something else!


	3. Geeze guys, get a room!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride (duh) but I own this plot and the character Callie.

Warning: Might be a little OOC but hey, no one can do these things perfectly. Also I might accidentally write something implying Iggy can see. I know he can't, but I'm human. I make mistakes.

Authors note: Okay people, I know this chapter is a lot shorter then either of my other chapters, in fact it is about 1000 words shorter then the last chapter, but quite frankly in my opinion I haven't updated in to long, and I need to do that soon, so I'm giving it to ya' short. Don't complain, I could decide not to and you'd get it in a couple more months. Anyway, we have a little more Faxness and some of Callie and Iggy, so I hop that makes up for there being practically nothing. ENJOY!

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**Callie's POV**

Slowly my eyes opened, although everything was still out of focus. Whether it was because my brain felt as if it was trying to break its way out of my head or because the sun was bursting through the windows. I have never been able to see well in bright light, probably because of my bat blood.

Once my seeing remotely focused out I realized that I was looking onto a light yellow wall. But wait…that couldn't be right. My bedroom wall was green not yellow. None of the rooms in my house were yellow; I detested the color. So…where was I?

Suddenly my memory flooded back at me. Leaving my home late at night so I can scavenge some food and money. Getting captured by the white coats because they poisoned my ice cream with some sleeping drug. Going back to one of the non-destroyed branches of Itex and trying to get out. I had gotten so close numerous times, but most were failed. Of course my last attempt had succeeded and I had been many miles away before the flyboys had caught up with me.

I remember running as fast as I could instead of flying; I can run much faster. It just seems more natural for me but you'll never believe how annoying the trees and hills are when they're in the way.

Then…was I shot? That must have been it. I remember a pain in my shoulder then falling down. The flyboys had been armed with weapons, and once they caught up with me I vaguely remember getting hit over the head into unconsciousness.

So where was I now? Did they capture me again? But then why was I in a bed? Why was I in a bedroom? Why was this mattress so comfy that I wanted to fall right back asleep this instant?

I tensed up when I heard voiced outside my door.

"Iggy calm down. It's no big deal. I'm sure she'll wake up any time now. Besides, what's the big deal? You don't even know her." It was a deep gruff voice, definitely male.

"Calm down? How can I calm down? She's been asleep for almost three days there's a 65 chance that she'll die because we can't get her any fresh blood, and we've had to change her bandages tree times in the past day! Tell me how that's not scary! If she's a mutant like us shouldn't she had really quick healing abilities? And the wound is just getting worse!" Although obviously male this voice was more melodic then the other one. It was softer and soothing, a sound that would have given me comfort if I wasn't wondering where the heck I was.

"Ig, you don't even know her! We don't even know whether or not she works for Itex. She could be a threat…"

"It is just like you to think that! Honestly Fang, think about it. Itex thinks about all of their experiments as their property. Would they really want to damage something so valuable to them?"

There was a pause. "True…but how can you be certain? This is Itex we're talking about."

"You know, you're starting to sound like Max." the melodic voice said, annoyed.

"What? I do not…look lets just drop this. We have no way of knowing whether she's good or bad until she wakes up." Another pause. "And I do not sound like Max."

They went on like this, confusing me with every word they spoke. I was able to decipher a couple of things, like they had been talking about me in the beginning. But I was confused. How did these people know about Itex, unless they were Itex? But from the sounds of it they weren't. Also…the melodic voice sounded concerned for me, which was weird. No one cares about me. That's how it has always been and most likely always will be.

Confusion built up in my mind until they stopped talking, and the doorknob turned. Instinctively I jumped back and huddled into a corner before the door opened.

"Hello? Are you…hey, you're awake!" He was tall, thin, and blond and, I must admit, very attractive. But I wasn't thinking about that right then. Right then I was thinking about how this guy knew I was awake if he wasn't even looking at me. In fact, his eyes seemed glazed over like he couldn't see a thing…

**Iggy'S POV**

"Hello? Are you…hey, you're awake!"

I could hear her breathing quickly, and I could practically smell how tense she was. In other words she was awake and probably scared out of her mind. I mean, how would you feel if you woke up in some stranger's house with no clue how you got there?

She didn't say anything, but I feel her eyes on me. It's a very uncomfortable feeling when you can feel someone's eyes on you, but no matter what you do you can't see them.

"So…I bet you're a little confused…"

No answer.

Crap. I had started to shake slightly, sweat seeping through my pores. I was nervous, but I had no clue why. Something about her presence was extremely intimidating. Not that she was scary looking…at least I didn't think so.

We sat there well I stood, and I think she was standing in silence for almost ten minutes before she spoke up.

"W-what do you…what do you want from me?" her voice was quiet, so quiet I almost couldn't hear it.

I shook my head. "No, we don't want anything from you. You just got hurt, so we decided to help you. You know, like any person would do."

After a pause she said "No they wouldn't. People aren't nice. They don't help each other unless they get paid." I smiled. She had said it in a more confident way, almost snobbish.

"Well, I can assure you we don't want any money. If we ever need any of that green stuff we can just hack into some millionaires bank account and steal some." The tension in the air had lifted, and I could hear her chuckle lightly. Of course that made me nervous. Not scared for my life nervous, more like schoolboy with a crush nervous. Fang was going to be laughing at me until the ends of the earth.

"So…I guessing you noticed the…I mean…" For a second I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but I quickly realized.

"Oh, you mean the wings? Yeah. But truly, it's not big deal, I mean we have them too." I stretched out my wings a bit so she could see them. At lease…I think I was facing her direction. What if I wasn't and she thought I was a total fool?

'Relax Iggy, it's no big deal' a little voice in my mind, who sounded a lot like Fang, said, 'Just take a deep breath and calm down. You don't even know this girl, there is no way you could have crush on her.'

Voice/Fang me was right. I didn't know her at all, so there was no way…hey…wait a minute. Who ever said I had a crush on her?

**Max's POV**

I had been walking to the room I was staying in, when I heard voices coming from the other guest room the bat-chick was staying in. And yes we nicknamed her bat-chick. What can I say; her wings look like bat's wings.

Silently creeping forwards I pressed my ear against the door. I could hear Iggy's voice and a voice I expected to be the girl's too. They were talking quietly so it was hard to figure out what they were saying. If I wasn't too off Iggy had just showed her his wings, and they were talking about flying…or…at least I think.

I listened for a little bit longer snickering when I heard Iggy stutter. He was nervous! I almost laughed out loud right then and there, but a hand closed over my mouth.

Looking behind me I saw Fang also listening through the door. I wondered how long he had been there, but shook my head and pressed against the door again.

It took me about three minutes of listening to Iggy talking to the girl to realize that Fang was very close to me. Like, scary close.

I felt my shoulders involuntarily tense up, and almost killed myself then and there when I realized that he noticed.

"A little tense huh?" He whispered in my ear, just like he had last night. I felt myself slipping into that brainwashed shell again, and I wanted to rip all of Fang's hair out. But of course I never would because his hair makes him so hot and so…goodness, I am going to kill someone if I don't stop thinking like this.

Luckily I saved myself from the brainwashed shell, and was able to stay conscious, at least for now. "N-no" I said, finally answering Fang's question.

He smirked at that. "Really? Are you sure?" His hands started to travel up by back, slowly massaging the section between my wings much like he had in the cave the night we had kissed that long time ago.

But this time I wasn't going to runaway. At least not until much later. "W-well…"

"Geeze guys, get a room!" Nudge shouted from down the hallway, and we both froze.

I wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment from being caught or that his mind actually had been jogged back to reality and he realized that he had been doing, but Fang backed up a bit stuttering before shutting himself in his room.

I gave a sigh of disappointment as I stared at the door he had closed for a couple more seconds. Walking back to my room any thought of Iggy and Bat Chick had left my mind, and yet again I was stuck not being able to think of anything but Fang.

Damn, my life sucks.


	4. Author's Note

Sorry People: **AUTHOR'S NOTE!!**

Okay, first of all I'm really sorry that it's taken me so long to update, but I've been crazy busy. Although if I got more reviews, I might be more motivated! ;) Anyway, I'm writing this (and having some trouble) because I need to tell you that I had ever intention of finishing the next chapter tonight, and uploading it, but I accidentally stabbed my left hand with a knife and got 4 stitches. As it is, I am quite unable to finish the chapter, and just writing this is probably one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life. sigh I don't think I've ever used backspace this many times.

Anyway, I'll be okay soon, so I'll finish the chapter in a jiffy and post it.

Sorry again. I hate being so unfaithful to people…

-Lileila Dark

PS. OMG!! I need a new title for this, so PLEASE PEOPLE!! I just randomly made up this current suckish title, and it has no relation to she story what-so-ever!! PLEASE!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!


	5. If only I could read minds

Hey peeps

Hey peeps. I'm REALLY sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I have been suffering from writers block and have been getting absolutely no sleep at all lately. You should be glad you can't see the rings under my eyes right now. shudder

MISTAKE ALERT: it has been brought to my attention that I am no longer perfect in every way cries heart out Apparently I have written 'Intex' instead of 'Itex'. Oops. Well it was an honest mistake, so PLEASE don't kill me.

Anyway, please R&R. especially Review. PLEASE?

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**Callie's POV**

Okay, not freaking out. Definitely not freaking out. I mean it's really no big deal. It's not like I woke up in some stranger's house all bandaged up and in a comfortable bed when some really good looking blonde comes in and tells me that he has wings too.

Wait a minute…

The blonde guy and I chatted for a bit, and he seems, nice but you never know. He told me his name was Iggy, which in my opinion is a kind of a weird name, but what the heck. He also told me that he was blind, but I had kind of figured that out already.

While we were talking, I'm pretty sure I heard commotion from outside the door, but it didn't sound dangerous or threatening, so I haven't jumped out of the window yet. But my wound is really starting to bother me…

Just when I was starting to calm down, the door opened quickly and in walked a young woman with an anxious look on her face. "Iggy? I heard that she…oh! Well you are awake…"

The second her attention was directed at me I scurried backwards as well as I could with these injuries, but couldn't help but groan in pain. It was unbearable, which was surprising considering I had had much worse wounds in my past.

Iggy rushed forward, making sure I was okay. I told him I was fine, but he didn't seem to believe me. Apparently he could smell the blood that was soaking through the bandage.

"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you I just…" The woman started to say, flustered.

"It's okay Dr. Martinez, but I think it might be best if you go now." Iggy's melodic voice had turned harsh, a little scary too.

The woman, who had been addressed as Dr. Martinez, looked shocked at Iggy's harsh tone. "But…she needs to have her bandaged changed…"

Iggy stood up and took the bandages from her before practically shoving her from the room. He looked back at me, concern evident in his sightless eyes.

"You okay?" He asked in a much softer and caring voice.

It was then that I had realized that I was shaking. Embarrassed, I tried to hold my hands still, but failed. "Y-yeah. I guess I was just a little startled. I'm not so good with people. Umm…who…who was that?"

Iggy walked over and sat on the bed. "That was Max's mom Dr. Martinez. She's okay, but sometimes she's a bit too motherly."

That didn't explain a thing and I was left with just as many, if not more questions then before. "Umm…Max who?"

Iggy grinned. He then told me all about the flock and everyone in it. He told me how they had escaped Itex and how they had met Max's mother. And he even vaguely summed up how they had destroyed Itex, or at least had thought so until they had found the fly-boys attacking me.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You and the rest of the flock were experiments at this place called the school, in an organization called Itex, which you escaped from with help from one of the scientists, who then turned on you, and you realized it was just a test. Later you destroyed Itex, and went to live with Max's mom until you could find a suitable home for yourselves. Right?"

Iggy nodded.

"Okay, I think I get that…except one thing. What exactly was Itex? And the School? I mean I know it from its products and all, but other than that…"

He looked shock at this. "Wait, but didn't you come from there too?"

I shook my head. "No. I came from an underground lab from Japan, who decided to test on human-hybrids. Of course being the racist geeks they were they decided to use American children, so as not to 'taint their blood' or what not. It was a small organization and I think I was one of only twenty tests. Then something went wrong and the whole thing blew up, killing all of the scientists, but me and a few others got out."

He looked surprised by this, more then I thought he would be. "But then why were the flyboys chasing you?"

I gave him a blank look. "What are flyboys again?"

**Fang's POV**

Nudge, the Gasman, Angel, Dr. Martinez, Ella, Max and I all sat around the dinner table. Iggy was still upstairs with the batgirl, and we didn't think they were coming down any time soon, if ever.

Dr. Martinez had told us all of what happened when she had stepped in there, and about how protective Iggy was of this new girl. That had me unsettled, as we really didn't know her yet, but I guess it really isn't my business.

Now we all sat quietly, no one eating the Spaghetti in front of us, although I could tell the Gasman was itching to have a bite, but not wanting to seem rude he wasn't eating. Either that or he didn't want to break the tension.

Max was staring down at her plate. She hadn't talked to me since...well, earlier, let alone make eye contact. I'm a little worried, but hey it's Max. She overreacts to everything, right?

Dr. Martinez was worrying her bottom lip, and watching the staircase, probably for Iggy. It was clear that she had taken her rejection quite personally, and I didn't need Angel's mind reading skills to know that she was thinking quite poorly of herself right now.

I couldn't stand this any longer. The silence was getting to me, which I found odd because of how often I talk.

Unable to take it any more, I shoved my chair back and made my way upstairs.

Approaching Iggy's door, I knocked, knowing it would startle them less, and already knowing in my mind that I wouldn't let him reject me.

There was rustling inside, and the door opened, but only enough so I could see Iggy's face.

"Hey Fang. I know you want to…" But before I could continue I shoved my way through the door, ignoring his protests.

The girl sat on the bed, legs, scrunched up to her chest, eyes wide. Her wings were splayed out on her sides, but I could see them tense up when she saw me.

"So, you're the new girl." It sounded like a question, but it wasn't.

"Umm…yeah. Fang, this is Callie." Iggy said, sounding a little uncomfortable. He was eyeing 'Callie' as if he expected her to jump out the window at any second…and for all I knew she was.

"And Callie, this is Fang. He's one of the flock members I told you about earlier." She gave him a look for a split second before locking her gaze right back on me.

"I…I'm not stupid you know." She said in a meek voice.

"N-no! I didn't mean that! No, I was just…you know. I didn't mean to imply that…"

It took all I had not to snicker. Iggy was quite clearly smitten. It was kind of sad really.

"So, what exactly are you?" I asked, interrupting Iggy's stuttering.

She frowned. "What do you mean?" her voice was still quiet and wary, not like it had sounded when Max and I had been listening in on their conversation.

"Like we're part Human part Avian. What are you?" she didn't answer, "Come on, you expect us to think you just glued those wings on. And if I remember correctly you had fangs and claws earlier, so don't expect us to think that…" I really didn't know what to say, so trailing off just seemed okay.

I swear she didn't say a word for the longest time, but finally she spoke. "95.7 human. 2.8 bat."

I did the calculations in my head, but they didn't add up. "Okay, but what about the other…1.5?"

She didn't answer.

"Umm…okay Fang, I think it might be time for you to go." Iggy said, while pushing me out the door. I held back for a few seconds, my suspicions rising ever second I stayed in the same room as this girl, but eventually I gave in and let him push me out the door.

Sighing, I let the door slam behind me, and I could just barely hear the sounds of Iggy apologizing to her. Why, I don't know. It's not like I did anything wrong.

**Max's POV**

I slowly walked upstairs after Fang, not really thinking about what I was doing. Everyone else was still downstairs, but I had been getting so bored just talking back and forth with Angel instead of actually having conversations. It seemed like no one wanted to talk right now. That's probably why Fang left too.

I creaked the door to the room I shared with Nudge, Angel and Ella before changing my mind and turning to the other side of the hallway. Fang and Iggy's room stood right in front of me, and I knew Fang was on the other side, Iggy being in the other room.

My heart pounding I made my final decision and opened the door.

Fang was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, looking very black in the colorful guest room. He didn't seem to notice me, and if he did, he didn't react. He just stared at nothing. If only _I _could read minds, then my life would be so much simpler.

"Hey," I said quietly, walking over to his bed. I was nervous as heck, hoping he couldn't hear my hear beat as fast as it really was.

"Hey," he answered back in a very monosyllable like way.

"So…what's the deal with then new girl I asked, as I attempted to sit on the edge of his bed. He scooted over to give me more room.

"Not much." I thought that was all he was going to say, but then he continued, "Iggy's smitten though. It's kind of disgusting."

I nodded, smiling. It was about time our blind friend found a girl. He had seemed so lonely-or maybe a better word is empty. He couldn't really be alone while with all of us, but it was as if he was missing something. Hopefully this would solve his problems.

"So, is she really part bat?" I asked, although I pretty much already knew the answer.

He nodded. "She said that she was 95.7 human, and 2.8 bat."

I scrunched up my face in confusion. That didn't make sense, that was only 98.5. I opened my mouth to speak, but Fang beat me to the chase.

"She wouldn't say what the other 1.5 was, but I doubt it matters." I agreed. Of course then, I didn't know what to say and we were thrown into awkward silence.

"So…to bad we weren't able to find a home on our trip." I said, trying to make conversation.

Fang scoffed. "Yeah, instead we picked up yet another mutant freak to fill this overflowing four bedroom house." He said begrudgingly.

"Come on Fang, you know we'll find a real place to stay soon."

He scoffed yet again, "Sure. Didn't you say something like that about a month ago?"

It was so true. We had been looking for a place to stay for so long, and I hated making Mom have to care for all six of us. I also knew that no matter how long a time we had spent here Fang would never truly trust Dr. Martinez. And I couldn't blame him.

I yawned, and looked at the clock. It was only seven thirty, but I was so tired. There's only so much sleep you can get while looking at a soft bed, but sleeping on a hard wooden floor.

My eyelids suddenly seemed heavier than before, now that I had realized how tired I was. In fact, there was a possibility that I wouldn't be able to make it to the other room before kneeling over.

"God Max, you really need to get more sleep!" Fang exclaimed, but I was to busy yawning to respond.

"Here," he said, and he scotched over farther on the bed, making room for someone else to lie down next to him.

I was too tired to protest so I complied. His bed was so much softer than the floor, and I fell asleep almost instantly, but not before feeling Fang's arms wrap around me as he pulled the covers around us.

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There, finally done. You should be impressed, after all I did this with stitches in my left palm and a splint over my left wrist. And yes, it was painful. Oh the things I do for people I don't even know. ;)

Anyway, hope you liked it and I'll try to update as soon as possible, but don't give your hopes up.

PLEASE review!


	6. They're Here

Disclaimer:

I don't own Maximum Ride or any of the characters. I do own Callie and her friends who you haven't met yet. He, he. Also the plot…at least I think there's a plot.

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. I didn't mean it to, and I don't really have an excuse. SORRY! Anyway, enjoy, and please **REVIEW!**

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**Callie's POV**

Throughout the coarse of the next day I met the entire flock. It was slightly awkward, considering…well just because. Not to mention, Iggy never left my side the entire time.

God that boy is sweet. And I just can't get over the fact that his voice it the most melodious sound I have ever heard.

But I can't stay. Sure they're nice, but at this rate by wound will just get worse and worse without Mark's help. I had already gone through five sets of bandages, and that was only since I've woken up. I had to do something, and it had to be done fast. For some reason, the thought of dying any time soon really isn't very comforting.

Of course with my stupid bullet wound I can't very well fly, now can I? And I would rater die then have these…birds bring me to our house. They might sell us out and then we'd all die! No, that wasn't an option. Of course without Mark I can't get better.

God this is a predicament. And a ruddy bad one at that.

"Hey, you still there?" I jumped at the sound of Iggy's voice having been totally lost in my own thoughts.

"What…oh…yeah. I'm here. Just thinking about…things." Good going Cal, things. That won't make him curious at all!

As I expected he gave me a weird look, which was odd considering his eyes were completely blank. He just had a way of lifting one eyebrow and tilting his head the slightest bit to the side. God he was hot.

My eyes widened at the thought. I hadn't meant to think that! It was a total mistake. Although now that I think about it, it was totally true, he was hot.

Thank goodness he was blind, otherwise he would have noticed that I-

"Hey, you okay?" Crap, he did notice.

"Yeah…why would you think I wasn't okay?" Okay Callie, calm down. He may be hot, but that's no reason for you to act like this.

"Oh, well it's just that…your heart beat got even faster and…well…sometimes I can just tell…you know…how people are feeling." He shrugged. "It's a skill I guess."

I nodded, forgetting he couldn't see me. That was weird. I held back a shiver. I felt totally violated here. It was like I couldn't have any privacy, what with that little girl who could read minds and now Iggy being able to sense the slightest change in my heart and sense my emotions.

I had never wanted to be home more then I did right now.

"Anyway, I wanted to see whether or not you wanted to come down and join us for dinner? I mean I know your hurt and all, but I can help you down stairs and I know Dr. Martinez thinks it would be good for you to get out of this room for once."

I didn't really know what to do. I wasn't completely comfortable around the people here, especially Max. I don't know why but she just has this 'I'm better then you' air about her. I can tell that it's not voluntary, but still it makes me feel extremely self-conscious, something I never am.

But I could also tell that Iggy really wanted me to. I guess he was tired of eating up here with just me instead of with his entire flock, which I get. I just didn't know how welcoming everyone else would be. I can see how they might think that I'm trying to invade on their flock and…I don't know. Quite frankly I don't know how bird's minds work. It's not something I've really ever had the time to care about.

"Uh…sure." I said finally. Might as well. Besides it's not like I'm going to be here long.

Iggy looked delighted and his face lit up with a smile. He helped me out of the bed as best as he could, making sure I was able to stand before slowly leading me over to the door.

I have to admit walking was hard, and not something I would have even attempted if Iggy hadn't been letting me lean on his shoulder more then my legs.

Once we finally made it downstairs and to the dinning room- I swear it was at lease half an hour later- Iggy sat me down on the chair next his. It was all I could do not to disappear right then and there, but I held myself back. I couldn't give myself away that would be suicide.

But still I wanted to. They were all staring at me, never glancing away and rarely blinking. Didn't they have better things to do? Like eat? Cause there were piles of food littering the table.

Piles of good smelling food. Dr. Martinez must be an excellent cook if any of this tasted half as good as it smelled. Of course I had spent most of my life living off of micro waved chicken and before that the scraps they threw into our cages, so I wasn't the best judge on good cooking. But I trusted my senses and I had an excellent sense of smell.

The only reason I hadn't devoured it all already was because they were all still staring at me, and I didn't want to seem stupid and greedy by being the first one to take food.

My eyes traveled over the birds and the two humans. They were all so different yet almost exactly the same.

My eyes traveled over the young mind reader. Iggy had said her name was Angel, but personally I don't think that name fit to well. I don't really know why but she just made chills run down my arms.

Next to her the young boy who's name I didn't remember sat. He had that little 'I'm innocent' look on his face, which made it obvious that he was extremely guilty. He reminded me of J. B. more then I had ever thought possible.

At the thought of my little J. B. another pang of homesickness ran through me. I'm not sure whether it was really homesickness or just that I missed my friends. I mean, I've switched homes been on the run so many times before that I really couldn't miss my home per say. I just wanted to be back with people I didn't feel so uncomfortable around. Besides if Mark forgot to feed Tabitha and she ran away again, I don't know what I would do!

Again I was so caught up in my own thoughts I almost forgot where I was and that everyone was still staring at me. When I jolted myself back to the present I had to hold back my instinctual urge to bare my teeth and hiss at them all. Damn my feline instincts.

**Angels POV**

I must admit I have never been so confused in my life. Callie was thinking all kinds of confusing things, and she thought faster then anyone I had ever met. Luckily I was able to pick a few things out of the jumble of thoughts.

She thought I was creepy for one and didn't think my name fit. But I've always loved my name. I think it fits quite well thank you very much.

Then there were more names. Gazzy reminded her of someone named J.B. I got a picture of a small kid who couldn't be more then a year older then Gazzy. He had dark messy hair that needed to be cut and bright blue eyes. I didn't really see the resemblance to Gazzy, and thought more of Fang when I noticed he was wearing all Black.

After that she mentioned a…Mark I think and then a Tabitha. Pictures flashed across her mind to fast for me to see clearly, but I was pretty sure a picture of a small monkey fit in there somehow. Of course that only confused me even more.

I frowned, silently pleading her to think it more clearly. It was then that I heard, _'Damn my feline instincts.'_

Well that certainly answered my prayers.

"Oh, so you're part cat!" I said, before thinking about what I was going to say.

She glared at me, and I wished I had kept my mouth shut. She looked ready to kill.

"So is that what the other 1.5 percent is?" Dr. Martinez, momentarily forgetting whom she was talking to and her scientific fascination seeping through.

Callie's eyes were wider then ever and she seemed to trying to sink into her chair. I was surprised when I realized that she was thinking of…battle tactics. She had noted where the window were, already eliminating the door as a possibility because it would take to long to open and it wasn't exactly easy to go crashing through three inches of solid wood, but what from I could see she definitely could, were it not for her wound.

Then there was whom she could easily knock down to get to those windows so that she didn't need to fight and get hurt even further. I was insulted that she put me in that category with Gazzy, Nudge, and surprisingly Iggy.

Looking into that matter I realized that it wasn't because Iggy was blind, more that she had noticed how smitten with her he was so he was less likely to fight.

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I think Iggy needed a talking to about this. I'll speak to Max later…

"So is it?" Fangs voice wrung out in the silence making Callie cower back into her chair even further.

After deciding that escaping wasn't really an option, after all she was both injured and outnumbered one to six, Callie stood down. Of course only I could tell because she was just as tense as before, so everyone else was still on their guard, especially Max who also was thinking of battle tactics and what Callie might try first.

I have never loved Max more then this. She was always so willing to protect us all.

Callie slowly nodded. "Mountain Lion. 1.4 percent." Her eyes darted around, still wary, when it occurred to her that she couldn't even stand on her own.

'Crap. I'm not getting out of this…I should have just told them I was only bat and human…crap…'

"1.4? But what about that .1 percent?" Dr. Martinez asked, completely emerged in her need for knowledge.

'Well that explains back in the forest when she was hissing at us. I wonder if the fangs are from the Mountain Lion part or the bat part. Wait, is she part vampire bat? Hmm…'

Max's thoughts were clear as crystal just as usual. It made me wonder why Callie's thoughts were so difficult to hear. Maybe it was because I wasn't…the same…as she was. After all we were completely different species when it came down to it, whether or not we were both mostly human.

"You know for a scientist who has worked with crossing species you really aren't very smart." Callie's harsh voice ripped through the silence, surprising everyone.

"W-what do you mean?" Dr. Martinez seemed really put out by that comment.

"I mean that I'm not the only one in this room who is one percent insect."

If we had thought it was quiet before, it was nothing compared to now. We all stared in shock at her. Insect? But that didn't make any sense!

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy because I know I'm not. If you didn't notice, you all have six limbs, not just four. Also your skin is a lot tougher then normal skin. I mean come on, there's really no other explanation!"

"Do you know this for a fact?" Dr. Martinez asked, voice wary and unbelieving.

Callie glared at her. "What, you don't trust my ability to know what _I_ am? Well excuse me if I don't rely on a six year old for my information on _myself_!"

Well ouch. Besides I'm not six any more. Sure I was when everything was going on but that was almost two years ago!

"Look Callie, just calm down. There's no reason to get worked up." Iggy said, trying to calm her down.

"Don't tell me-"

BANG, BANG, BANG!

We all jumped at the sounds. It wasn't like before with the gunshots. This time it was more like a crash or a large stomp. Like someone was falling from a great distance and landing on their feet on a not so secure surface. And in this case the not so secure surface was the roof.

"What was that?" Ella asked, speaking for the first time.

"Everyone stay here…I'm going to go-"

Before Dr. Martinez could finish her sentence there was another bang and a crash. Then the sound of glass breaking.

'_We're coming…don't…careful…rip their throats out…sneak up…Callie…heal her…" _The thoughts were all mixed together but I could tell there were more then one of them. It was just like trying to listen to Callie, only it wasn't her.

"What's going on?" Gazzy asked, and I could tell he was trying to stay calm and to not freak out.

It was then I noticed Callie. Fang was already staring at her suspiciously, as was Iggy.

She had a relieved, delighted smile on her face and she breathed heavily. Closing her eyes, happier then ever Callie muttered under her breath, "They're here."

A/N: **REVIEW PLEASE!**


	7. Birds vs Bats

Mark's POV

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, and I never will. I know, Sad, isn't it?

A/N: I am completely sorry about how long it has taken for me to update this. I don't have much of an excuse except for that I have been working on my other story and school. This isn't the most important thing in my life (because I do have one) and I have other things I'd rather do/ have to do. Still, I'm sorry to keep you waiting and I'll do my best to decrease the gap between chapters. Anyway, here it is, R/REVIEW!

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**Mark's POV**

"She's here, she's here! I know it, I can sense her in there!" JB called out, relieved.

"Yeah, and so are 7, no eight others. And at least six of them aren't completely human…"

JB stared at me wide eyed. "Then…what are they?"

I shook my head, trying to clear it. Images of birds and wings kept blocking my view of the inhabitants of the house. Stupid wild animals, they should all be caged up and left in the middle of a desert to die.

"I don't know."

I heard JB mumble something incoherent under his breath and I rolled my eyes.

As we flew closer to the house I caught a strange scent drifting up my nose. Well, actually not so strange, as I had smelled it many times before, more then I would have wished.

Blood. Callie's blood. Not much of it, but the fact was they had hurt her. They're going to pay.

"JB, she's hurt."

His eyes widened at my comment and I could practically see his mind go into battle mode.

"Get on the roof. Make sure you're noisy so you can scare them. I don't think the element of surprise is going to work on these things. I'll shut down their power. We get in, and get out. Do as much damage as you can, but make sure you can still fly afterwards. And if she's hurt we may need to carry her back."

I nodded at his commands and flew downwards, aiming for the roof.

You may think it's weird that I was taking commands from an eleven-year-old without even hesitating, but after all these years I've gotten used to it. Besides, it wasn't nearly as weird as when he was six and ordering us around like an army colonel.

A few seconds before I hit the roof I curled my wings around myself, allowing myself to drop, heavily, onto the roof. My weight, combined with the altitude and speed of my decent caused a sufficient bang. In fact if I wasn't so light because of being part bat, I'm willing to bet that I would have fallen through the roof.

JB hadn't said anything about going inside, so I decided to make like he said and be noisy. Grinning I held out my wings, jumped about six feet into the air and somersaulted back down. I could hear the beams of the roof bending, and I was impressed; this was a sturdy roof.

I did it again, and I was pretty sure that one more time would take the roof in. Only JB had just returned from…well wherever he had been, so I gave him an attentive look, awaiting his next orders.

"I got a peak in the window. There are at least six of them that we really need to watch out for, all of them about our age. The other two are just human, I think."

"Which ones go down first?"

"Start with the two older ones; you'll know who I'm talking about. They're going to try and protect everyone else." He scoffed slightly at that before continuing, "And the youngest one. She's going to be troublesome."

"Any weapons?"

"As far as I can tell just teeth and claws."

I frowned. "Laterally?" In the world we lived in, you never know.

JB shook his head.

"Can you make it through the roof?" I nodded. "Good. I'll climb through one of the windows downstairs. Don't worry about blocking their exits, if they want to run, let them. As long as Callie's fine it doesn't matter what happens to them."

"Wait, JB, do you think they…know things?"

JB frowned. Sure he's great at planning things out and everything, but sometimes he forgets stuff.

"Your right. Okay, kill them all. Aim for the throat, make it quick and move on."

I nodded, smirking slightly. This was going to be fun.

**Callie's POV**

Relief flooded through me as I heard the sounds of my two brothers talking on the roof. Then came the huge crash and the sound of glass breaking. It didn't occur to me that there might actually be trouble until the power went out.

The younger of the bird-kids shrieked at the sudden darkness. And if I'm not mistaken Max did too. Ha, ha!

Heavy footsteps pounded the floorboards upstairs. That had to be Mark, he had probably crashed through the ceiling, and then the quieter footsteps from just the other room. BJ.

I could only hope they had left Isabella at home.

I turned to the stairs, waiting for Mark to come running down when I heard BJ slip in the dining room unnoticed.

Almost unnoticed.

Fang, the big idiot, had been the only one who hadn't panicked or jumped at the sudden darkness. And instead of watching the stairs he had been watching the other door, which led to the den, so he had seen JB come in.

Before I could say anything, Fang pounced on JB, who had been reaching in his back pocket for something, probably a knife.

They both fell, JB making a cry of surprise at his attacker. Luckily he only hesitated for a moment and I felt a feeling of pride well up in my chest as he sunk his teeth firmly into Fang's shoulder.

Fang's howl of pain caught everyone's attention. I was impressed how even the younger ones jumped into a fighting stance when they noticed what was going on.

Max was the first one to shoot forwards. She grabbed onto JB with her clawish like fingers and threw him off Fang and into the wall, before I could do anything.

**Iggy's POV**

I had never wanted to be able to see more then I did now. All the bangs and crashes were confusing me. As far as I could tell the power had been switched off, which really didn't affect me.

Then there was the presence of to other…creatures. Their heartbeats were much faster then a normal human, even faster then ours were. Just like Callie!

I jumped as I heard Fang cry out in pain, and mentally begged Angel to send me a picture of what was happening. She did not, however, which completely pissed me off.

Then something slammed against the wall; a body as far as I could tell.

A strange sounding snarl filled the room, and one I had heard before. Someone had done something to piss Callie off.

I tried to organize the sounds, but found it to be much more difficult then it normally was. As far as I could tell there one of those intruders was crumpled up by the wall, Fang was leaning on the floor, hurt (I could smell blood), Max was making sure Fang was okay and Callie…

Well, now Callie was charging towards Max, ready to rip her to shreds…I think.

**Mark's POV**

I stomped down the steps, knife in hand. They had obviously heard me, so it was only a matter of time before either they tried to head me off or I found them.

Of course what I hadn't expected to find was a dining room filled with half eaten plates of food, four people, all of which seemed to be much younger then me, a guy about my age bending over, clutching his shoulder, JB staggering as he tried to stand up and Callie and some other chick in the mists of a heavy brawl.

Only, Callie was hurt, bad. Sure she was putting up a good fight now, and I was sure that were the odds even she'd have no trouble at all beating the hell out of this chick. However it was obvious she wasn't going to last much longer with that injury of hers.

I stepped into the room slowly, without a sound. I couldn't be noticed. Not yet anyway.

Soon I was standing right behind one of the smaller kids. He looked a bit younger then JB, only he didn't have that look in his eyes. You know, the one where pretends to act more immature then he really is? This kid didn't have it.

Slowly I reached into by boot and grabbed the dagger I had hidden in there, just in case. A good thing too, I had been too panicked, wondering where Callie was to think about grabbing my knives. Besides I don't rely on them as much as I used to so they aren't constantly on my mind.

Anyway, in the next split second I had grabbed the boy and had my dagger to his neck. Of course, no one had noticed but him.

I saw Callie start to falter and blood had soaked through her shirt. I had to act now, before she got even more hurt. There's only so much I can heal at one time.

"Everybody stop moving or the boy dies."

Well that sure got their attention.

**Max's POV**

That bitch, I knew she couldn't be trusted. She's the one that brought these intruders into our home. And her stupid little friend hurt Fang.

Of course then she had to go and attack me like a mad woman. But it didn't really matter; it only took me a few seconds to remember she was still hurt, giving me a huge advantage. I could see her struggling to make her next moves.

"Everybody stop or the boy dies." My heart almost stopped when I heard that sentence, and again when I turned around.

A tall, dark skinned guy stood there with Gazzy held hostage in his arms and a knife to the poor kid's throat.

If Gazzy's life hadn't been in danger I would have ripped his throat out in a second.

"Now I want everyone to go sit over by that wall over there. One wrong move and I'll…"

"No, Mark…no…" Callie tried to speak to him, but she was too out of breath and loosing blood fast.

'Mark' looked at Callie, biting his lip. He seemed to be having trouble deciding whether go to her or keep his hold on Gazzy. Luckily he decided the former. My attention was locked on Gazzy and I rushed forward once Mark was too far away to hurt him. Gazzy whimpered as I gathered him up in my arms and he was shaking.

It was all I could do not to kill that bastard.

"Callie? Hey Cal you alright?"

"I...I'm fine…" but she obviously wasn't.

"Come on Callie girl, don't lie to me. What happened? Did they do this to you?"

My back was still to them so I craned my neck around to see what was happening. Of course it was still dark, but as far as I could see Mark had lifted up her blood stained shirt and was tentatively ripping away the soaked bandages.

"N-no…no of course…of course not." Each word seemed harder for her to form and her eyes were blinking shut.

"Callie!" The other kid had gotten up again. You know, the littler one? The one I had thrown against the wall?

He limped towards her and I flinched inwardly. I hadn't meant to throw him that hard. No wonder she had been mad…

"JB?" Callie asked, unable to find the energy to turn her head and look at him.

"Yeah. It's me." Slowly he reached her, collapsing on the floor next to her. He smiled, as if he was relieved. As if she wasn't lying there, about to die from blood loss.

"Here, JB, can you move back a bit? I don't want to accidentally cross into you when I'm healing her.

He nodded and scotched back.

At first I didn't know what I was seeing. Mark was leaning over her; eyes closed tightly, hands pressed over her bullet wound. Callie was perfectly still, almost as if she were dead. Only I could still hear her breathing so I knew she wasn't.

Minutes passed, nothing changed, although Callie's breathing became less harsh and more normal sounding.

After we had been sitting there, huddled together while the strangers did…whatever they were doing, I had started to get restless. If they didn't finish up what they were doing now and get out, there would be hell to pay.

Luckily, seconds after I had that thought, the Mark guy opened his eyes and stiffly moved back from a now fully awake and alert Callie.

He stood up, so I did too, although I wasn't really in the mood for another fight. But if it came to protecting my family I would do anything.

He didn't say anything. He just stared at me, making me feel self-conscious. I started to squirm, wondering if he was going to make a move.

Of course, two seconds later he punched me in the face.

**Callie's POV**

I felt perfect. My stomach was healed, any bruises I had gotten from my fistfight with Max were gone, even though they hadn't shown yet, and I wasn't the least bit woozy. My blood supply had been replenished and I could get up and ready to go.

But if I got up now, I'd have to be the mature one and stop Mark from punching Max, and I didn't want to do that, at least not until he got a couple in.

"You bitch!" Mark screamed and threw another punch.

I winced. That was my queue to intervene. "Mark, stop it!"

He hesitated, but luckily he listened to me.

Mark glared at Max, who was now being held by an enraged Fang. No really, I wouldn't have been surprised in the least if steam started coming out of his ears.

Obviously annoyed Mark marched over to me. Suddenly I was completely aware of what we would look like to an outsider. Or rather, what we looked like to the two humans huddled together, wide eyed, under the counter.

It was the flock against my colony, birds against bats.

Hate to be cliché, but the tension was so think you could have cut it with a butter knife. Would another fight break out? Would we just have to leave? Who would make the first move?

Apparently Iggy decided to do that.

"So, this is your…family?" he asked me, his eyes as empty as normal.

I nodded. "Some of it."

He nodded back. "Cool," and this surprised me most of all, "I'm Iggy," and he held his hand out for either JB or Mark to shake it.

Mark gave him a look, and looked as if he was about to say something when JB stepped forward.

"JB," he said simply as he shook Iggy's hand.

Iggy smiled; glad to not have been left hanging.

I smirked when I saw his flock's reactions. They were all staring in shock at the blind blond. Gazzy looked more confused then anything, Max and Fang looked almost disgusted, and Angel and Nudge looked more surprised then anything.

"This is insane."

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A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! You know I love getting feedback, both good and bad.


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